Improvement in apparatus for cleaning brick walls



* J. WATE'RMAN.

APPARATUS FOR- CLEANING BRICK WALLS, &c.

"Patentved'Jan. 25, 1876.

Wilma .PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOIGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

U TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WATERMAN, 0F PHILA E PHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BRICK W A'LLS &c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 172,804, dated January 25, 1876 application filed June 9, 1875. v

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN WATERMAN, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Apparatus for Cleaning Walls of Brick,

Stone, &c., of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to construct a device for rapidly and effectively cleaning the surface of brick or stone walls; and this object I attain in the manner which I will now proceed to describe, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front view of the apparatus; Fig. 2, a sectional view of the same on the line 1 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 a detached view of a portion of the apparatus. V y

The working parts of the machine are carried by two end frames, A A, which are arranged at any suitable distance apart, and each of which is composed of twoupright posts,

' a a, connected together by suitable braces,the-

front post being furnished with a plate, b, by which the frame carrying the cleaning-brush is guided vertically.

I prefer to make these end frames in sections, fitted together as described hereafter, so that the apparatus can be increased or diminished in height as desired.

The frame which carries the cleaning-brush consists of two end pieces, 11 d, and a horizontal plate, 0, on which is arranged to slide a carriage, B, through a bearing in which slides the spindlefof the brush 1), the said spindle also passing through and being revolved through the medium of a pulley, g, but being permitted to slide freely to and fro within said pulley, without having any rotary movement independently of the same.

The spindle f has at its inner end a knob, h, by pressingupon which the attendant, stan ding upon the platform E, can force the cleaning-brush D against the surface of the 'wall to be operated upon, a spiral spring, i, tending. to remove the brush from contact with the wall, when pressure is removed from the knob.

The end pieces 11 d of the'brush-carrying frame have jaws at each end, which embrace the edges of the guiding-plates b, so that the said frame can be adjusted vertically to any desired position, set-screws 00 serving to secure the same in place after adjustment.

The means which I prefer of applying power to the cleaningbrush are shown more fully in Fig. l, in which F represents a pulley secured to a drivingshaft, which turns in hearings on the lowermost section of one of the end frames A, a similar pulley, G, being secured to a shaft carried by the uppermost section of said frame, and the driving-belt y passing round both these pulleys and round a pulley, H, the shaft of which turns in bearings in the end piece d, and carries at its outer end a smaller pulley, I. The opposite end piece d also carries a pulley, I, similar to the pulley I, and a belt passes round the pulleys I and I, and'over and betweenthe pulleys g, g, and 9 carried by the sliding carriage B, the pulley g communicating motion to the spindle of the brush D.

A hinged arm, j, is secured the end piece 01, and carries .at its outer end a roller, k, which can be moved inward against the belt y, by drawing upon the cord or chain 1, so as to in-.

crease or diminish the tension upon said belt.

, The manner of fitting together the sections of the end frames AAis 'shown in Fig. 3,

which representsthe adjoining ends of two sections. The front and back posts of each section are socketed at one end, m, and provided at theother end with a projecting portion, a, adapted to the socket of'the adjoining section, and the front post of each section carries a portion of the guiding-plate b, which is cut away at the socketed and of the post, and

projects at the opposite end, the ends of each section being also grooved, so as to. make a close joint.

The revolving brush D consists, preferably, of a disk, in which are inserted a number of short pieces of wire; but any device which will have a scraping or scratching effect on the surface of thebrick or stone may be employed,

or a bristle-brush and water may be used when a painted wall is to be operated upon.

The above-described apparatus can be made of any desired width or height, and is intended to be erected in proximity to the wall of a building to be cleaned, in the same manner as a painters scaffold, every part of the wall being rapidly and effectively operated upon by the brush D, owing to the ready adjustability of the latter.

I claim as my invention-- bearings secured to the upper and lower sec 1. A device for cleaning walls, &c., consisttions of one of the end framesg with thepulley ing of an adjustable frame adapted to guides H, carried by one of the adjustable end pieces at each end, and provided with a sliding card d, all substantially as set forth. riage, carrying a revolving brush or scraper, In testimony whereof I have signed my all substantially as set forth. name to this specificationin the presence of 2. The combination of the vertically-adjust two subscribing witnesses. able frame and its end pieces d d, with the opposite end frames A A, and their guides b JOHN WATERMAN. made in sections, all substantially as set forth. Witnesses:

3. The combination of the belt 3 and the HUBERT HOWSON,

pulleys F and G, the shafts of which turn in HARRY SMITH. 

